I collected baseball cards from the late '80s through 2002. Then I went to college and when I came out, I was lost. There were too many brands, sets, choices, relics, autos, parallels, variations. It was a turn off. However, I slowly made my way back.
So here is my attempt to venture back into the hobby. I'll buy a few packs of cards here and there, comment on some cards I have, send out some TTMs, and follow the progress of my Topps Yankees Project.

Tabs

Saturday, April 30, 2011

The 25-card 2011 Topps Opening Day inset set has been increased to 26 cards with this rare pull. Failed Yankee mascot "Dandy" from the late 70's to early '80s found his way into the set:

I don't think I tricked anyone. However, after reading Matt F's post about why he likes 2011 Opening Day, I realized that I may not like the Mascot cards because my team isn't represented. I know, I know, the Yanks are overly represented in nearly every other set and you're all surprised that a mascot of Mantle wasn't put into the set. Anyhow, I wanted to add card #26. Thanks to Topps Online Store for the template, and to Google Images for the lack of pictures of Dandy. Mostly, thanks to George Steinbrenner for doing away with this creepy mascot before I was even born.

The other day I was looking for a few cards, and pulled out my tin of Michael Jordan cards. Literally, it's a tin. I've got about 10 MJ's in top loaders, and then a small plastic case filled with other various Jordans. I collected a lot of basketball cards from about 1994-1998. I collected a lot more basketball than baseball in those days. I loved the NBA (still do), and I loved basketball cards. It was around the time when insert cards were becoming big, but before the time when autos and game-used came along. It was simpler times.

I don't have that many good Jordan cards. A handful could probably fetch $10-$20 on eBay, but I enjoy hanging onto them. I also have a few Jordan baseball cards, and my favorite is undoubtedly this one:

I always loved this card, and envied my cousin for having it. I was always more into cards than he was, and when he was moving houses he didn't want to bring his cards along, so he gave me a binder and this card was luckily in there. The funny thing is that this is from 1991, a few years before MJ left the Bulls to pursue baseball. Who knew at the time it was foreshadowing things to come? I like all my Jordan baseball cards, but without a doubt this one is #1 for me.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Although it's only day one of three, and there isn't really a season (sort of), I'm still excited for the NFL draft to begin tonight. My team - the Bengals - are picking fourth. I hate being a Bengals fan, but I was born into it. It's the only non-NY team I follow, as my other allegiances are to the Yankees, Knicks, and NY Rangers. And the Liberty. Just kidding.

Anyhow, my money is on the Bengs picking WR AJ Green from Georgia, although who knows, they may trade down to try and grab WR Julio Jones AND a QB like Andy Dalton. They had a solid draft last year, picking up Jermaine Gresham, Carlos Dunlap, and Jordan Shipley among others. Although I don't collect football cards, I grabbed this Dunlap rookie for like .25 as part of a SportLots order. It's always weird to see players from another sport in the same card design used for the baseball set.

I picked up this purple shiny goodness on eBay. I placed a .99 bid (plus .99 shipping) and I was the only bidder, so for $1.98 I'm a happy camper. I already had the Slade Heathcott, but needed the Jesus Montero. The seller was also cool enough to throw in the Bowman Platinum base cards of these two players for free of charge. Sweet lot!

After a week of watching the Yanks score little to no runs (minus a random 15 run outlier), I'm about ready to see Jesus' bat in the big league line up. STAT.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Back in my playing days (high school baseball), our team was fortunate enough to share our home field with the Double A Binghamton Mets. Or maybe they shared it with us? I remember they’d always see us and go, “Look, it’s the guys who tear up our field.” Anyhow, a few us players at the time helped shoot a local PSA for a baseball camp that the B-Mets were going to help work to benefit an anti-tobacco foundation. A few of the Mets appeared in the commercial as well. The only one who was nice enough to talk to us (and he talked to us pretty much the whole time) was Heath Bell. He had a pretty funny Mohawk at the time, and he was incredibly cool; told us some jokes, asked how our season was, saying how cool it must have been to play our games on a pro field. He was a great dude, and I took a small interest in his career from that point on. I never thought he’d end up being one of the best closers in NL, but all the sudden, here he is. I’ll always be a fan of his, and it just goes to show that as fans, a short conversation with a player can mean a lot to us.

He's a pretty good TTM signer I believe, so maybe I'll send a copy of this photo to see if he'll sign it for me.

I've wanted to pick up an Al Rosen auto for a while, as he was a hell of a player and is probably on par with Bobby Doerr in terms of the greatest TTM signers of all-time. I picked up this 1956 Topps for a few bucks on eBay and sent it along, and in a week Mr. Rosen sent it back signed and personalized. I also included a 1979 Yankees team card, as he worked in the front office for them at that point. He graciously signed that as well.

After returning home from an Easter spent at my parents' house, I had a nice little bubble mailer waiting for me from Brian at Play at the Plate. I sent Brian some 2011 Heritage, as well as a stack of random Texas Rangers cards. Brian sent me an incredibly generous lot of Yankees.

The were two big highlights for me. The first is a 1993 Topps Derek Jeter rookie! I actually did not own this card...I have some older Jeters from Classic, but this is my first Topps RC. I love it and couldn't believe he sent it! Brian included a post it that it was an original, and not a re-print. To me, it's so weird that there even would be a reprint of this card already, although I believe it was part of the 60 Years of Topps insert set this year. Bizarre that he'd even have to say a 1993 is authentic, but this is the hobby as we now know it.

The next equally awesome card was this Andy Pettitte 2010 National Chicle Refractor numbered 003/199. Whoa! What a beautiful and shiny card this is! It's dazzling. I like this set more and more, partly because I really appreciate the artwork behind it. It's not easy to paint baseball players. This is by far the nicest Pettitte card I now own.

Next up is some shiny goodness - 2010 Topps Chrome X-Fractors of Jeter and Kevin Russo. Awesome.

Another Jeter insert. What a classy looking card this is.

And finally, a nice lot of Yanks. You bet your a$$ that's a Kei Igawa shiny.

Brian, thanks again! These cards were great and very unexpected. The Jeter rookie is something I'll hang onto for a very, very long time.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

One of my favorite parts of Esquire magazine is the "What I've Learned" section. Actors, athletes, political figures and dudes of any kind give a brief interview of what they've learned over the years. I've had a blog for about three months, and have learned a lot so far. I thought I'd share some of my thoughts...

What I've Learned

Everyone in the card blogosphere is very generous. I’ve made about 25 trades, and nearly every blogger has sent me more than what is necessary or that we agreed upon. I’ve even gotten a few “just because” packages for no reason.

Most blogger have set collecting goals, and I love how diverse they are. Team collectors, player collectors, set chasers, big hit chasers. The list goes on.

Dodgers, Reds and Braves cards are popular and seem to be the most collected. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s my observation.

People don’t like the Yankees. Even on baseball cards.

With that being said, it’s still expensive to collect Yankee cards, especially relics. Just like with free agents, there is a “Yankees Premium.”

My postings may be too Yankees-centric. I need to diversify a little bit. I’ll still focus on the Yanks, but maybe I’ll highlight some other non-Yankee cards I have.

It’s hard to keep up a blog and post regularly. For those of you who do and keep up the quality, I admire you.

I need to do a better job proofreading.

I need a scanner. Sorry about all my crappy iPhone pictures that makes cards look like trapezoids.

I miss clear cuts, die cuts and holograms. In that order.

I appreciate those who are into and follow my TTM postings and my Topps Yankees Project.I've always been off and on with TTMs, and you’ve been keeping me interested in it.

You guys (and girls!) all have really, really good cards. I’m envious of your collections.

I don’t think I’ll ever be a high-end collector. As much as I’d love to bust a box of Topps Tribute, I don’t think it’s in the cards for me. Maybe one day. Not right now.

I missed a lot of great sets of cards from 2002-2010. You guys have sent me so many great cards from sets I missed, and I’m truly appreciative.

Contests are fun. But I never win.

I wish I had a local card shop with a quarter or dime bin. That would be fun.

I’m going to keep this blog for the foreseeable future. It’s been a lot of fun, and I feel like I’ve made a few new friends. Thanks for being so welcoming!

I'm down to five. Just five years stand between me and the completion of my Topps Yankees Project, at least until 2012 Topps hits the shelves and I have to scramble to keep the project current. Yesterday I returned home from work to find two little plain white envelopes looking up at me from my coffee table. I knew who both were just by looking at where they were shipped from. Most impressively, I sent both on the same day, just 10 days ago, so the turn around for these were very fast.

First up, the 1960's are officially in the book! The only year that I was missing was 1966, and with this Al Downing success, I have closed out another decade! That makes the '50s, '60s, '80s, and '10s (?) as the only completed decades at this point.

For some reason, 1991 was tough for me to complete. I have sent out the most requests for this year, all to guys who have historically been good signers. Nil returns. Until now. Randy Velarde signed my 1991 Topps, and I also threw in a Bowman Heritage I had laying around and Mr. Velarde was gracious enough to sign it as well. It looks great signed. That card got a little beat up in the mail, as did the Topps, but I don't mind. I send all my TTM cards unprotected, and as a whole, most return to me in great condition. I'm bound to get a few beat up here and there.

The five years I still need are 1970, 1997, 2000, 2003 and 2005. Stay tuned!

Monday, April 25, 2011

One by one, I've been picking up Yankees 2011 Topps 60 Relics. I recenetly grabbed the Jorge Posada for a few bucks, and it marked my first Posada relic of any kind. I really like these cards, I just wish it was easier to read the player's name since the silver foil gets a little lost. Otherwise, these are great looking cards.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Unfortunately I didn't have any cards of him to send, but I sent Brian Cashman two Yankees team cards on April 5th. Yesterday, Cashman returned both cards signed and personalized!

The best looking of the bunch is the 2010 Topps team card featuring the Yanks celebrating after winning the World Series in '09. I was at the Game 6 clincher, so I love collecting items from this game. The other card was a Fleer card from back in the day (as in 1999 or 2000) of the Yanks during a parade down the Canyon of Heroes. Unfortunately, there is a lot going on in the card and it's tough to see the signature. That's my fault, I should have known better. Rest assured, there is a signature on there.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

...two Yankees prospects cards on eBay. I know you are probably all sick of hearing me talk about Yankees cards, but I wanted to show of these two, well, because they cost me $.17 combined...shipped! Both will be used TTM I think. Without any real collecting goals as of late, I have found myself gravitating toward prospects cards for no real reason.

I have a quick TTM success to share. Shelley Duncan of the Indians signed my card c/o ST, so it's pretty cool that he sent it from Cleveland. I sent him an 8x10 with the Yanks a few years ago and never got it back, but I'm happy to finally add his signature to my collection on this Topps card.

My favorite Shelley story happened a few years ago. A fan at Fenway asked Shelley for his autograph, and he signed it "Boston Sucks!" Hilarious. He got a lot of sh*t for it, but come on, that's great. And they do suck so he wasn't lying or anything.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

In my second trade with Mr. Hiflew of Cards From The Quarry, I sent Johnny a stack of Rockies for some 2011 Heritage Yankees. I know I'm close to having the Yanks team set completed. In the next few days I'll list out what I still need - it should only be a few cards, as Johnny put a major dent in it with this nice little package:

I might use the Eduardo Nunez for TTM, so I'll be on the look out for a spare one of those. Johnny also threw in an AJ Burnett Upper Deck Icons. Such a great looking set. Thanks, Johnny!

I'd expect any card of Jesus to be shiny. In this instance, I'm talking Jesus Montero. I picked up this Bowman Platinum Refractor #'d to 999. The more cards I get from the set, the more I like it. The regular refractors are blinding, and the purple and green versions (I don't have a green yet) are really nice as well. While it was fairly pricey, it's a great looking set and I'm always on the look out for more Yanks.

By the way, I'm about ready to see his bat in the bigs. He's hitting .400 in Triple A after a solid season last year at the same level. It's almost time. In now way do I want him to replace Russell Martin, who's been much more than any of us were expecting, but I'd love to see him get maybe 2 starts a week at catcher and another 2 at DH.

Yesterday when I got home from work, I had a SASE post marked from Columbia, SC. I figured it was something from one of the Charleston Riverdog players I sent to. Much to my surprise, it was a success on a 1960 Topps from Art Ditmar!

I actually really needed this for my Topps Yankees Project. I have a 1960 Gil McDougald, but I had to move around a few years after I got my 1951 Jerry Coleman. I wanted to stick to my one player per year rule without repeating players in the project. Here is what I had to move around:

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

I've been trying to collect the entire 2000 UD HoloGRFX A Piece of the World Series set. I love the look of these. I think they are one of the best look game-used sets, and they were created at a time when relic cards were just starting to pop up. These cards aren't easy to find, but every now and then one ends up on eBay. I now have five of the eleven cards in the set after picking up my newest addition, Mariano Rivera.

This card is sweet. Not only does it picture Mo after getting the final out in the '99 World Series, but the base definitely has some dirt on it! None of my other four have dirt, so this is really cool.

Holy crap! Aroldis Chapman hit 105 (on TV) and 106 MPH (in stadium). Wow. I'm not sure how accurate these speed guns are, but there's no mistaking he was throwing well over 100, which is mind boggling. I remember back in 2002, I was at an Astros game and Billy Wagner was hitting 100 and the crowd was going nuts. Literally hanging on to every pitch waiting to see what the stadium gun read. But this is on another level. I don't know if the dude knows where the ball is going once he lets it go, but he definitely has the fear factor going for him before the batter even steps in. It'll be interesting to see if he can keep it up (and if his arm can hold up). If so, the Reds have a pretty nice 1-2 punch with Chapman and Cordero.

Monday, April 18, 2011

I've been trying for a while but have been unsuccessful in my attempts to buy/trade for a Manny Banuelos card. He is a little lefty with a big arm and could be in the Bronx before the year is over. Crazy thing is, he's just 20, but he definitely looks to be an ace in the making. His meteoric rise up prospect rankings (Baseball America had him at #41 in February but he's been climbing even since then) has made his cards quite hard to come by. Nearly all of his 2010 Topps Pro Debut cards are going for over $5, which isn't too expensive but I'm a cheapskate.

I finally won this card - a 2009 Tristar Prospect Plus. Overall, it's a nice card. I wish the logo wasn't photoshopped off of his hat...it reminds me of an old cereal box card. Anyways, I'm very happy to own this card and I hope Banuelos continues to dominate in the minors.

For $2 shipped, I picked up my third Slade Heathcott card, this 2010 Bowman Platinum Purple Refractor. I actually thought this was a serially numbered card when I bought it, but it's not. Oh well, still cool. My Heathcott, Montero and Banuelos collections are slowly growing. I have a TTM request out to Heathcott as well, so hopefully I'll be able to score his auto. He's off to a good start so far in Charleston, and if he keeps it up I'll be watching him patrol the Yankees outfield in 2013 or 2014.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

I sent out about eight TTM requests to Yankees prospects last Monday, as most of the minor league clubs started on the road but returned home later this past week. I haven't ever really sent to minor leaguers, so I'm not sure what to expect success-wise.

Well, I got off to a great start today. In just four days, Yankee pitcher Hector Noesi signed my card in care of the Yankees. I was going to send to him in Triple A, but he got called up Wednesday when Luis Ayala went on the DL. I quickly sent his request to him c/o of the Yanks (it probably beat him there), and I got it back on Saturday...four day turnaround! Just awesome. I can honestly say that this may have been his first autograph as a member of the Yankees. I can't imagine anyone sent a request to him quicker than I did! I think he needs a new Sharpie, as this came out a little faded. Still cool! Hopefully Noesi gets in a game before he is optioned back down.

The second success was a bit longer of a turnaround...6 days! Pitching prospect Adam Warren signed my 2010 Topps Pro Debut in care of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yanks. I sent this on Monday and got it back Saturday. Warren was a fourth round pick in 2009 after a fantastic career at UNC. He is not projected as a top of the rotation guy, but most expect him to pitch in the majors and be a solid #4 or #5. Nothing wrong with that. I hope he pitches well and puts himself into a position for a promotion to the big leagues.

So far, I'm having fun with sending out to Yankees prospects. Hopefully I'll get a few more this coming week.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

I just got back from my first Yankees game of the year. I usually get to 10-15 every year, so it was nice to get to the first one. It was freezing (mid '40s) and there was a light rainy mist the whole game. The Yanks took home a 5-2 win after a stellar pitching performance by Freddy Garcia (no joke) against those pesky Rangers.

The game was flying along until Rafael Soriano tried to give it back in the 8th. Mark Teixeira hit a two-run HR in the first and a sac fly in the third. Garcia went six crafty scoreless innings and Joba pitched a solid 7th. As much as I like Soriano in the 8th, he is painful to watch. Very deliberate. Didn't he know I was freezing?

Robinson Cano, aka the best 2B in baseball, hit a 2-run shot in the bottom of the 8th for insurance. He donked it off the foul pole off of lefty Derek Holland, who threw a decent game overall. Mariano Rivera came in for an easy save. There is nothing like seeing him enter a game live. I remember when Billy Wagner tried to come in to Enter Sandman. Child please.

ARod left the game with oblique and lower back stiffness. I'm hoping it's nothing serious. With a night game tomorrow and a day off Monday, I wouldn't be surprised to see him sit for two days and be ready for Toronto on Tuesday.

All in all, a good day with great friends and crappy weather (the Yanks said we could use our ticket for another game later in the year!). But hey a win is a win! Too bad the Red Sox won...I wanted 2-11, but I guess I'll live with 3-10 for now.

I grabbed a few more cards on SportLots and they came yesterday. Actually, I was missing seven cards from my purchase. They are all Topps Pro Debut cards, so I have to get to the bottom of that. Here is what I grabbed:

Both of these will be used for TTM. I need the Downing for my Topps Yankees Project. This may be my last time trying Montero. I believe I am 0 for 3 trying him, so this might be one last attempt. Hopefully I'll be able to grab his auto.

A nice little assortment here. A few are for TTM. A few are just because I wanted them. I think Betances is going to be a star, so I wanted to grab his regular Bowman RC since I already have the Chrome.

And here are five more Tino's that I didn't have! The '02 Flair is pretty cool. I didn't even know that set existed still in 2002.

Hopefully I'll get the seven cards I am missing. I want to send a few of them for TTM.

Friday, April 15, 2011

A few days ago, I traded a 1974 Topps Jim Merritt for a 1975 Topps Rick Dempsey. After that, I started to get a few offers for the Dempsey. Is there something special about this card that I didn't know about? I checked eBay and there are plenty listed for around $2, so I don't really think so. Anyone know?

Anyhow, someone offered me a 1976 Dempsey (Yanks), a 1977 Fran Healy (Yanks), and a 1978 Stan Bahnsen (Expos) for my '75 Dempsey. Two Yanks and three cards overall from the '70s? Done deal. I only had four cards up to this point, and wouldn't mind grabbing some more trade bait, so I figured it was a smart deal on my end. I'm not up to six cards from the four codes I redeemed.

Last week, Napkin Doon of the infamous Adventures of Napkin Doon held a great contest - a no holds bar white elephant contest/giveaway. Similar to what many of us do in our office holiday party (or like they did on The Office), random spots were assigned by the Doon. You could either pick behind a random door, or steal winnings from another player who went before you. However, once a prize was stolen twice, it was frozen. And it got ugly. Stealing, trash talking, cussing, people breaking sh*t in hotel rooms Theo Epstein-style. Ok, not quite, but it was awesome! I'd also like to note that the cards were really nice...a few autos, relics, serially numbered cards of stars, an eTopps in hand just to name a few. It was quite generous of Nappy.

I was assigned the fifth spot. Before it was my turn, there were two autos and a jersey card on the table already. However, there was a lot of five 2010 Topps Pro Debut Blue Parallels. No Yanks were in it, but I love the set in general. I stole that from a fellow player (first steal of the game!), and no one stole it from me. I'm now the proud owner of these:

Nappy, thanks again for an awesome contest/game. He says he'll do The Big Fun Game (please, never ever change the name) again at some point in the future, and I encourage you to definitely play if you are lucky enough to gain an entry. It's a lot of fun.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

I wanted to share a former success from one of the best TTM signers of all-time, and one of my favorite Yankee pitchers: Mike Mussina. Moose was a great signer in the off-season, although since he has retired I've seen little to no successes from him. I don't blame him. I had a few successes with him over the years, and this one is my favorite. I sent him a cool Cracker Jack card, as well as a ticket from his first win of his final season, 2008, when he won 20 games for the first time. I asked him to signed it "#1 of 20", and he kindly obliged.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

This Saturday, I am heading to the Yankees game with a few friends. I've been to over 100 games - home and away. I was actually supposed to go last night before the rain out. Anyhow, I'm sure most have seen it by now, but if not, I encourage you to check out the article written by John Steirgerwald (CLICK HERE) regarding the unfortunate situation of the Giants fan that was beaten up at Dodgers Stadium.

In his twisted opinion, he writes that adults should not wear jerseys to games, as they are not part of the team or assisting them in any way. It's something cute for kids, but not for adults. He asks why this fan thought it was a good idea to wear a jersey of the opposing team to a game. Wow. I'm not going to get into the article - there are plenty out there who have given a better rundown and response than I ever could.

However, I will say that I do wear jerseys to games from time to time. In no way do I think it makes me closer to being a part of the team. It's showing my fandom and admiration for the team and the athlete I am supporting. Same as collecting baseball cards. I don't pretend that the jersey has magical powers; that it was issued to me by the equipment manager and hung in a locker for me. It's simply a show of support. I wear a button up and slacks to work everyday. When I get home, I turn on the Yanks. I don't get decked out in gear watching in my living room. But yeah, if I am going to a game in person, I'll wear Yankee gear, often a jersey or t-shirt. It's a sense of camaraderie...40,000 other fans in the same place as you cheering for same team. Some fans choose to wear only a team hat. Others a t-shirt or sweatshirt. Some fans show up straight from work in a tie or a golf shirt. Does this make them any more or less of a fan? Does it make them more mature because they are dressed like "adults"? Not a chance.

I'll be at the game on Saturday, and I'm going to rock a jersey just out of spite for this article. Now the only question is....which one? My #24 authentic team jersey? My Bernie Williams BP jersey? Road gray with no number on the back? Only time will tell.

I really like the Reggie Jackson Topps National Chicle. I know a lot of the paintings look funny, but I think this is one of the best. As a painter (who will be showing off a painting on this very blog in the coming days), I appreciate the artwork and know how difficult it is to capture athletes. There was a nice assortment of other Yanks, including a Steve Carlton/CC Sabathia 2011 Topps Diamond Duos that I didn't have yet!

I feel a little creepy posting this success. Yes, I sent a TTM request to a high school kid. If you no longer feel comfortable reading my blog, that makes two of us. Anyhow, a few weeks ago I pulled a Bubba Starling Bowman Chrome USA card. I did a little reading and was impressed to find out that Bubba is somewhat of a legend. In addition to playing outfield and pitching for the U18 National Team, he also has signed a letter of intent to play QB at Nebraska this fall. Talk about talent!

Most draft experts are expecting Bubba to be one of the top picks in this June's amateur draft. While I know he won't get picked by the Yanks because they aren't picking until #50, it'll be exciting to see where he goes.

Anyhow, Bubba was nice enough to sign this card for me in about a week's time. Pretty cool!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

I placed a small order on SportLots to pick up a few shiny Yankees prospects cards. I'm happy to grab my second Gary Sanchez card - a 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition. This is a really cool looking card - very shiny and mirror-like. It's still weird for me to see "Panini" on the back instead of the Donruss logo, but I don't mind at all because I feel like Panini is bringing a lot to the table and are a very fan-friendly company.

I also grabbed six other cards - a Slade Heathcott Bowman Platinum (already had it but it was only .18), a Cito Culver Bowman Draft Pick, a 2010 Bowman Chrome Graham Stoneburner (sweet name) Bowman Chrome, a Dellin Betances 2007 Donruss Elite extra Edition (really cool card), and two more 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Editions - Rob Segedin and DeAngelo Mack. Both of those will probably be used for TTM.

I'm happy to report that with my most recent TTM success, the 1980's are now complete for my Topps Yankees Project. I now only have seven different years to go!

Yesterday there was a SASE in my mailbox from Boston. I figured it was the Luis Tiant 1980 Topps I sent. Actually, it turned out to be Mr. Jim Beattie. He signed my 1979 and 1980 Topps cards in about six weeks!

I recently completed a trade with Julie from Things Are Funner Here. She posted a few Topps Wrapper Redemption packs, and I really liked the Mark Teixeira that was available. Since I didn’t buy enough Topps to have sufficient wrappers for a pack of my very own, this was my shot to get one of these sweet cards. They really really nice...pretty and shiny in the 1952 design. There is a lot to like.

I sent Julie some Roys – Halladay and Oswalt. I can’t imagine I sent anything she didn’t have – they were pretty basic cards. I also through in a bunch of Phillies, including a few oddballs from back in the day. Hopefully these helped make up for the Roys.

In addition to the Heritage, I got a nice stack of Yanks in return. I was shocked to see a 2010 A&G Randy Winn, well, because I couldn’t believe he made it into this set. He had a forgettable first few weeks in Pinstripes (although he did hit one big HR) before he was released. It’s a shame that I’ll never get to see Tino on an A&G, but Winn made it. Sigh.

There were a BUNCH of fun cards to sort through. I particularly like the Topps ’52 Edwar Ramirez, and I would love to send it to him TTM once he latches on with a team somewhere. There was a great looking Yogi Berra Goodwin Champions card as well.